We Will Meet Again
by Hakatchi
Summary: Some things are better left buried. Wanting to get away from her family, Willow goes to participate in a Johto tournament. When she meets someone oddly familiar, unexpected memories resurface. Who was she before this life? Time is precious.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_There was a boy standing among the forget-me-nots. _

_ There was a girl standing among the farewell-to-springs._

_ Sun shone on one,_

_ Shadow shrouded the other._

_ Words slipped from mouths,_

_ "We will meet again."_

_ A promise born upon butterfly wings,_

_ Lost in the labyrinth in the sky._

The afternoon heat was getting to Willow's head. It was the last period of the day. If she could only reach the cedar tree before her five minutes were up, she would get to skip chores.

"C'mon Willow! Just a few more feet!"

Her friends cheered her on from the sidelines.

_That's easier said than done_ she grumbled and forced her feet to inch steadily across the sun-baked ground. An eternity passed by before the cool shade of the tree graced her tired body.

Panting, Willow collapsed onto the grass.

"Did I make it?"

The PE teacher strolled over, a grimace pasted onto his grizzled face.

"Sorry Willow. You missed by ten seconds. Try harder next time."

A moan escaped from Willow as she covered her face with her hands. The teacher took pity on her and assigned her the duty of watering the garden.

"Don't we have a gardening committee in charge of doing that?"

"They all went home early. It's summer break after all. Some teachers are a bit latent. Be grateful, at least you're not going to be cleaning the hallways."

"I'll help!"

A perky girl bounced over, her pigtails swaying in rhythm.

The teacher sighed and smiled, "there's no stopping you Marie when you've made up your mind. I'm sure Willow wouldn't mind."

Willow was still face-down on the ground, but she clenched her teeth when she heard. Marie wasn't _exactly_ her friend. She hung around her like a dreary cloud. An overly perky dreary cloud. Willow found her annoying, but she tolerated her since she knew all too well what Marie did to people who disliked her.

People tended to go missing for several days before they were found unconscious with a farfetch'd-shaped tattoo stamped across their face.

She shuddered as she felt Marie's gaze stick to her.

"Well, we better get started then if we want to make it home before midnight! Willow! Let's go!"

Sighing, Willow reluctantly detached herself from the cool grass and obediently followed her.

Bellossom danced in the sunshine, agitating the shroomish that rested in the shadows. Wailmer pail in hand, Willow began watering the bellflowers that grew along the granite wall that separated the boarding school from the rest of Slateport city. Marie was busying herself with the daises on the opposite end of the garden. She watched as a bellossom came up to her and gently touched Marie's auburn hair. It was promptly scolded when Marie became distracted and let the water in her pail spill out onto the ground.

Willow walked over and offered her her pail.

"Ah, you're done already?"

"Yeah, I didn't have as many plants on my side."

Marie smiled, "Thanks for your offer, but I'll go refill mine. It'll shatter my pride if I take yours. People would think I was lazy."

Once she disappeared, Willow examined the daisies. The gardening committee had been complaining that there was a strain of poppies invading the garden. Everyone had treated as a joke since poppies weren't an invasive species of plant.

Willow could see the strewn about corpses of the bright red flowers lying under the daisies. She was sure they weren't there before. But then again, she never seemed to notice these small details. Cautiously, Willow picked up a poppy. The vibrant red dazzled her eyes. They looked like graceful flames among the plain white of the daisies.

_Flames,_

_ Smoke,_

_ Screams._

Willow snapped out of her daze and noticed her fingers were trembling. She flung the flower as far as she could, scattering the petals all over the garden.

_I don't want to remember._

_Some things are better left buried._

When Marie came back, Willow had already cleaned up the mess she made with the help of the bellossom and shroomish.

"You can go already if you're done. I can finish up pretty quickly by myself."

Willow forced a smile and replied, "Thanks. Have a good summer."

Marie smiled back and tugged at a lock of Willow's hair.

"You too! Now go already. I bet you're just dying to go home."

Willow waved and sped out of the garden. Her family was probably impatient for her to arrive home. Her mother was defiantly _not _the patient type. She passed by the unlucky guys who were stuck cleaning the hallways and exchanged greeting with them.

"Oh, by the way, there's a Pokémon competition being held in Johto over the summer. There's already a lot of really good trainers going."

Intrigued, Willow asked for more information and was promptly handed a flyer.

"We knew you'd want to go, so we had some flyers ready. I heard Marie is going too."

"Wow! Thanks a lot. Are you guys going too? It'd be pretty tough competition if you are."

They all grinned.

""Course!"

Willow glanced at a nearby clock and swore silently. She was going to be late for the ship if she didn't go now!

"Seeya!"

Dashing through the hallways, Willow smiled.

This is going to be a good summer after all.

Unknown to her, a shape detached itself from the nearby wall and quietly followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You could be beautiful if you tried Willow."

Facing the mirror, Willow scowled. This wasn't the first time her mother had told her this. Ever since she quit Pokémon contests, her exterior appearance didn't seem to matter all that much.

"I told you mother, I don't want to be beautiful. It just attracts unwanted attention."

Her mother put her hands on her hips and gave her a stern look.

"That's foolish. In this world, looks will help you get through life's hardships. No one would respect you if you aren't visually appealing."

Willow could already sense her unspoken words.

_And you'll make our family look bad_.

Pft. As if she cared.

All the more reason to hurry to Johto. She had slyly brought it up during dinner when her mother was least likely to snap at her for her foolishness. Her father had approved, saying worldly experience was good for the soul. Her mother had slipped on a mask of worry and fretted over the various "dangers" she would most likely encounter.

Willow winced as her mother forced a comb through her scraggly black hair.

The only reason why they had let her go was because her little brother Grey had given them his adorable little beggar look. Not to mention he had added that "he wanted his big sister to be a star". They fell hard.

She smiled a secret little smile. Grey had finally paid her back for rescuing his beloved psyduck from a pack of mightyena.

"Ow!"

Satisfied, Willow's mother stepped back and admired her handiwork. She had managed to force her daughter's hair into a tight little bun and inserted a hair chopstick to add a little flair.

"You look acceptable for once."

She had also made Willow wear a loose fitting kimono. It was rather short, only reaching her knees, so she had also thrown in black leggings. Willow had argued that these clothes were impractical for use. Her protests had fallen on deaf ears and her mother shooed her out of her bedroom.

It was already well past midnight, but her father had insisted booking her for a midnight trip to Olivine. The tournament was scheduled for July 28, two days from now.

"Early pigey gets the wurmple," her father joked. Willow didn't resist much, wanting to get away from the confines of Sootopolis. It had been a long time since she had been to Johto.

Pokeballs and supplies securely in her bag, Willow took one last look at the glimmering lights. Taking a deep breath, she climbed aboard the ship.

_No looking back _she thought.

The ship was fuller than she thought it would be at this time of night. Trainers and Pokémon wandered freely among themselves. Reading the needlessly large map plastered across the wall, Willow located her room. The battling deck sounded fun, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Trudging through the numerous hallways, Willow finally found her room. Sliding her pass through the scanner, she pushed the door open.

It was a nice room, with ceiling-to-floor windows covering the opposite wall. Light softly covered the room in a warm orange. Willow could barely make out the massive swarm of chinchou the ship was currently plowing through. Not bothering to change clothes, Willow collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.

Something warm brushed her cheek, startling her awake. A little cherrim sat on top of her stomach, tickling her cheek with its little arms. Willow smiled and lifted it up into her arms.

Sunlight flowed into the room. She hadn't bothered closing them the night before. Stretching, Willow gazed out of the window, savoring the sight of the deep blue ocean. The cherrim struggled out of her grasp and ran to her pack. Reaching inside, it took out six pokeballs. Willow picked them up and put them in her pockets. That was the only plus side to this impractical outfit: big pockets.

Stomach rumbling, Willow scooped up the cherrim and proceeded to find the buffet.

With an empty plate smudged with maple syrup, Willow sat back and relaxed. She watched as her cherrim greedily gulped down bowl after bowl of rice porridge. Trainers and a bayleef watched in astonishment as a plate full of rice crackers disappeared at the speed of light. At this rate, her cherrim would clean the kitchen of rice. Sighing, Willow pried a rice ball out of its hands and wiped its face with a tissue.

"Cher cher," whined the cherrim.

Willow pinched its cheek and scolded it, "Enough is enough Clover. You need some self-control."

Crap, she was beginning to sound like her mother.

A trainer came up and tapped her on her shoulder.

"Hey, I wanted some rice porridge but your stupid cherrim ate all of it."

"And your point is…?"

The trainer smirked.

"Meet me at the battle deck in twenty minutes. We have a score to settle."

Twenty impatient minutes later, Willow stood at one end of the battlefield and her opponent at the other. A large crowd had gathered in the short time. Apparently, her opponent was well known in Rustboro City. His group of lackeys lingered around him like parasites, feeding off of his confidence and throwing hostile looks in her direction.

"Let's get this battle started ref!"

"Ah, yes. This battle will consist of one round. The first Pokémon to faint is the loser."

Willow tightly clenched her chosen pokeball.

"Battle… Start!"

"Go Crawdaunt!"

"Go Kennith!"

The trainer sneered, "You actually nicknamed your swellow? That's so lame."

"It won't be lame if I beat you loser," Willow retorted.

The sneer was quickly replaced by anger. His lackeys started to reassure him.

"Don't listen to that girl David."

"You'll win for sure. She's just a girl."

Kennith chirped indigently at the insults. It unfolded its wings and prepared to strike. Willow held up a hand to stop it and waited.

"Crawdaunt, use crabhammer!"

"Fly!"

Spinning gracefully into the air, Kennith drifted tauntingly out of reach. The Crawdaunt hammered its claws on the ground, eager for its next command. Its trainer didn't hesitate.

"Sludge bomb go!"

Foul liquid squirted directly at Willow's swellow. It struck it directly on its chest causing Kennith's wings to buckle in pain. Unable to keep itself adrift, the Pokémon fell to earth. Several spectators wailed as they watched the bird collapse limply on the ground. David smirked and motioned with a flick of his left hand. His Crawdaunt roared and rubbed its claws against the cement flooring of the battlefield. Willow could smell the acidic smoke produced from the friction. She could see David smirking and refocused on her poisoned Pokémon. Kennith had managed to struggle back to its feet and now glared blazingly at its enemy.

The Crawdaunt stood stock-still. Willow was beginning to lose her patience. But Kennith could only last so long in its current state.

"Kennith! Façade!"

Everything happened in a blur.

Her swellow had landed a direct hit on the Crawdaunt, but it had been waiting for a good reason. At the moment of impact, David's Pokémon had used payback, which causes twice as much damage if the user is attacked first, knocking Kennith all the way to the other wall.

The ref didn't hesitate to announce the winner.

"Trainer David has won the battle!"

Willow ignored the jeers of his followers and ran to her injured Pokémon. Reaching into her pocket, she fished out a lint-covered revive and forced it into its beak.

Coughing, Kennith opened its eyes and flapped its wings in dismay. Willow patted it reassuringly and returned it to its pokeball. She would visit the Pokémon center when they reached Olivine City.

Turning around, Willow spied someone smoothly walk out of the captain's room. It was a young man who wore rather thick glasses. He looked like those computer nerds that hung around the back hall in her school. Perfectly ordinary.

Until he turned his head to look directly at Willow. It was only for a brief moment, but she had quickly adverted her eyes. There had been a horrible scar running down his neck. Scar tissue had hardened and gleamed disgustingly in the sunlight.

Before she had time to consider how anyone could have gotten such a cut, a huge explosion from the back of the ship sent everyone to the edges of the battlefield. Screams could be heard as some people fell overboard. The crew of the ship were directing the hysterical crowd towards the lifeboats but others could already see that there weren't nearly enough. Pokémon were sent into the skies and sea as trainers made their way off the sinking wreck.

Willow ran to help a little girl who was hanging on desperately to the edge of a rail. Everyone was too busy trying to save themselves to notice others in trouble. Just as Willow reached out her hand to help pull her up, the ground tilted underneath her and sent her headfirst into the water.

Everything was steeped in shades of aquamarine when she opened her eyes underwater. Willow felt for her bag but it was hard to focus. The surface seemed just within reach but her clothes were dragging her down. Water laden, it felt as if she had an aron attached to each of her feet.

_Dammit Mom. Next time I'm picking my own clothes, _Willow fumed but she couldn't fight any more.

Her world turned black.

_Am I dea? Is this how it feels to drown?_

A sparkle of sapphire.

_Water's coming back to haunt me? Or is heaven blue?_

There was a faint outline in front of her. It felt oddly familiar, like the teddy bear she used to carry around until her mother told her she was too old for that kind of thing. She had memorized the feel of its fur, had always known where it was, and her hand had instinctually reached for it whenever it was close.

She had cried when she watched it disappear in a dazzle of flames. It felt like she had lost a part of her being. A loss so deep she had been unable to sleep for weeks until she had gotten hooked on Pokémon contests. That memory had been securely buried in her mind.

_Tears that shone in the uncaring moonlight. A horrible agony as the world darkened and lost its color._

_ Nothing mattered when you lost your most precious._

_**Bloodstained azaleas covered her eyes.**_

_** They had taken him away.**_

__Air burned her throat as she coughed up the water she had swallowed. Someone had taken her from and ocean and forced life back into her. Her vision was still blurry, but she could smell Clover curled up on her chest.

They were on a back of a lapras that looked oddly familiar. Willow couldn't place the memory until an all too boisterous voice called out.

"'Bout time you came around!"

Marie jumped off of her dewgong and landed neatly by Willow's side. For once in her life, she was actually glad to see her. Marie always had a fear of drowning, so she took her water Pokémon along whenever they traveled over water.

It was already twilight when Marie pointed out the sparkling lights on the shore.

"We made it! There's Olivine City!"

They breathed a sigh of relief.

**Granite Cave – 7:30 PM**

A rather tired young man trudged through the dim cave. He had managed to excavate a good deal of stones today with the help of his aron. Sunstones clinked against leaf stones as he adjusted the sack on his shoulder.

Shockingly, he had gotten lost among the many caverns. He thought he had explored most of this cave when he found himself in a low cavern filled with water. Swinging his flashlight over the clear waters, a purple glint caught his eye. Wading through the shallows, he hesitantly picked it out of the water.

It was an opaque orb. Its surface was stained with magenta swirls that made it impossible to see what it was inside. Putting it safely in his pocket, Steven made his way out of the cavern. He was going to have to make a trip to Ecruteak City and pay a visit to someone he hasn't seen in years.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived by the edge of a forest with her two parents. She loved playing among the wild Pokémon, but was warned to always come back before sunset. _

_ One day, she followed a rattata down an overgrown path that led her deep into the forest. Soon, she lost track of time and found herself lost. Losing hope, she collapsed on the ground and began to cry. _

_ From the shadows, a man appeared and crouched by her side. He was holding a small packet, which he gave to her with the promise of finding her way back home. With that, he disappeared among the trees._

_ Curiosity overriding her sorrow, the little girl opened the packet and found a very strange instrument lying in her lap. It was smooth and purple with a series of strange openings. Desperate to get home, the girl blew into the instrument. A strange sound erupted from it, causing her to drop the item and look around in shock._

_ She was in her backyard, standing among her mother's Rhododendron bushes, the branches scratching her arms. Running towards her house, she stopped on the back porch._

_ She could see her parents standing in the front door. Relived, she ran towards them. But before she could reach either, they flitted out of her reach. Looking up, she saw the sky covered in purple. An uneasy feeling snaked into her stomach, slowly turning into despair._

_ Her parents drifted upwards and faded into nothing._

_ She was alone._

_ The little girl slid onto the floor and wept._

"Are you still daydreaming Abrielle?"

The little girl crossed her arms and stared at the boy in front of her.

"No Luke, I don't _dream_."

Luke shivered. Her voice always sounded like something from a horror movie, both cracked and whispered. Abrielle's appearance didn't do much to dispel the dreadful aura she emitted. She wore a worn purple dress with a little too much frill and mud caked shoes. Luke always thought she looked like someone from the Victorian age.

Sighing, he motioned to his watch to show that the Pokémon competition they were going to enter in was starting soon. Abrielle didn't comment and headed for the Olivine City Square. Luke hurried to catch up with her.

By the time Willow and Marie had reached the square, it was close to bursting with excited people. Machokes guarded the makeshift stage in the center, but even they were having trouble with humanity's worse nightmare.

Rabid fan girls swarmed as close to the stage as possible without being shoved back by the buff pokemon. The Johto champion stood unfazed as he surveyed the crowd. It was a better turnout than he expected for a brand new competition. Mike in hand, he greeted the eager trainers.

"I'd like to welcome you all to Johto's very first traveling Pokémon competition!"

Cheers came from the amassed people.

"Each trainer is allowed twelve pokemon, but may only carry six at a time. Applications will be handed out for you to fill. Be sure you're confident in your choices. Starting tomorrow morning at eleven, you will start your journey through Johto, ending at the Indigo Plateau. Throughout your journey, you will be able to challenge others. But be warned, you must reach each designated town within the time limit or face elimination.

There will also be special guests participating in this competition. They will be acting as judges to monitor the events in case of foul play."

He gazed sternly around the square to emphasize his point.

"Those who survive to the end will face each other in classic tournament style rounds. The winner will be rewarded the grand prize of one million pokedollars."

Many people gasped at that statement. The flyers they had received had not specified what the grand prize was.

"I will help supervise the competition and look forward to seeing you all. I wish everyone good luck!"

"Eeeeeek! Lance!"

With his speech done, Lance gave everyone a small wave and jumped onto his dragonite. They flew off in a burst of wind, leaving the fan girls strewn everywhere. Willow had to sidestep the bodies in order to reach the Pokémon center. Marie was less careful, stepping on hands, whose owners snapped out of their daze with a burst of pain.

Managing to survive their journey, the duo entered the Pokémon center. Neither were surprised to see the multitude of people since this was the nearest place to access a pc. Indeed, there were rather long lines being maintained by chansey. Marie was glancing around and groaned when she spotted someone.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked quizzlingly.

She didn't answer and ducked behind a nearby potted plant. The answer became clear when a pretty blonde strolled over and threw himself at Marie.

"Darling! I didn't expect to see you at this kind of place."

Marie visibly flinched.

Willow snickered. It seemed that her fiancé had finally managed to track her down. He liked to keep a watch on his "precious gem" and coddled her as if she was a delicate rose.

Her friend was nothing like what he thought she was.

Willow was distracted from her thoughts as a chansey straddled over and handed her the applications. She left the other two slips for the busy sweethearts and went to look for a quieter place to fill out the form.

Sitting on a cushy armchair, Willow let out a sigh as she signed at the very bottom of the form. It had been a tedious process and she had spent a good amount of time mulling over her Pokémon choices. Her decisions finalized, she handed it to a nearby blissey and yawned. The sun was already setting and exhaustion slowly crept into her mind.

Stepping out into the chilly twilight air, Willow walked a few steps before stopping. The crowd of people had strangely thinned out and she found herself face to face with a shadowy little girl. She couldn't make out her face clearly, since they were just out of the reach of the lamplights. A foreboding feeling grew in Willow's consciousness. On instinct, she jerked away just as something flashed in the dim lighting. Out of the darkness, a pair of eyes glowed ominously. They pricked an uneasy memory in her mind.

"Teddy?" she whispered.

She had a feeling the girl was smiling.

"Shadow claw."

The command floated like a wisp of smoke. The nearby lamp flickered and went out, submerging them in night. Willow crouched closer to the ground out of nervousness. Darkness seemed to gather itself around the girl until she could no longer make out even her faint outline. A small giggle erupted from the shadows.

"We'll play together later."

And the lights came back on. Shaken, Willow took a step backwards and bumped into someone.

"S-sorry," she mumbled. The stranger caught sight of her pale face and steadied her as she lost her balance.

Concern flashed across his face as he remarked, "You don't look so good. I'll take you back to the Pokémon Center."

She didn't protest as he helped her back and remained silent as he reserved a room for the night. It wasn't until Marie rushed over did she finally speak.

"My god Willow! You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Marie-," she murmured before collapsing.

As she securely tucked Willow into bed, Marie turned to face the stranger.

"Roland said you were called Lyon? Thanks for watching out for Willow here. She's been through a rough day."

She absentmindedly ran her hands through her pigtails. Examining him closer, she would've classified him as "cute" if it weren't for his somewhat vacant eyes. The messy blue hair was getting on her nerves and her hands were itching to grab a comb and reorganize the chaos. But she was getting sleepy and headed back to her own room.

"Well g'night. We're gonna need an early start tomorrow."

Lyon nodded and headed for the door. Hand on the light switch; he paused for a moment to gaze at Willow's sleeping face. He was sure he had never met her before, but there was a nagging familiarity.

His thoughts were interrupted as he yawned and mentally slapped himself. Weariness was making him imagine things.

As the door shut behind him, two eyes glowed softly in the moon stained shadows.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Wakey wakey! The sun is shining and it's only twenty friggin' minutes before the competition starts!"

Willow groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Marie stood over her holding a glass of water. She snorted when she saw her eyes open and promptly put the glass down.

"I was gonna pour this over your face if you didn't wake up. Now, c'mon! There's no time to just lay there."

She dragged a reluctant Willow out of bed and slapped a wet towel on her head.

"Go wash up. You haven't cleaned up since that your almost drowned moment. Make it snappy, we have to go soon."

Sighing, Willow relented and pushed herself to the bathroom. There was no protesting with Marie.

Nineteen and a half minutes later, Willow and Marie found themselves amidst an eager crowd. Pokémon were wandering in between trainers, adding to the chaos. It was hard to even find enough elbow room since it seemed every square inch was occupied, whether was on the ground or in the air. Willow could spy Roland and the stranger from yesterday at the front lines. She nudged Marie, but it seemed she had already noticed and was determined to go the opposite end of the crowd.

Before she could move any farther, they were pushed forwards by a delcatty. And in almost no time at all, the duo ended up right next to a smiling Roland. Marie cursed under her breath and pushed Willow in between them. Her face had turned a faint shade of pink and Willow smirked. Roland hadn't noticed and tugged Lyon closer to the group.

"My cousin should be here any moment now-," he started but was interrupted by a huge gust of air.

A Pokémon glided directly overhead and landed gracefully in front of the mass. A young woman leaped off its back and took a minute to dust off her clothes.

Someone in the crowd hollered, "Omigosh it's the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia!"

Marie's jaw dropped as she pointed helplessly. Roland grinned.

"Yeah, that's my cousin alright. Don't you see the resemblance?"

He ran his fingers through his silky blonde hair. Marie rolled her eyes and dropped her backpack on his feet.

Roland yelped and rubbed his feet.

"What the heck did you put in there?"

She sniggered, "Camping stuff. Plus a pan or two."

Her fiancé opened his mouth to comment but stopped when a voice began speaking through the intercoms. Automatically, everyone fell silent as they listened with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

"Today is the start of Johto's Traveling Pokémon Competition. Your first destination will be Ecruteak City. The time limit is three days. Remember, anyone who does not arrive within the set time will be disqualified.

The countdown will start now.

Three."

Roland's delcatty batted Lyon's ponytail.

"Two."

Marie swung her backpack back onto her shoulders.

"One."

Time seemed to stretch as Willow held her breath.

"Go!"

In a flurry of running feet, everyone scattered in their different directions. It was so hectic that Willow quickly lost sight of Marie and Roland. Willow path was blocked by a shiny rapidash. Girls were chasing it despite the risk of being trampled under its sharp hooves. Dust had gotten into Willow's eyes, making her temporarily blind.

While trying to clear her vision, Willow failed to notice that the rapidash was heading backwards in her direction. The jagged hooves drew dangerously close until a tyranitar stepped in front of her and caught the horse by its back legs, sending its rider tumbling onto the ground. The female spectators shrieked with rage until the Pokémon thumped its hind feet irritatingly on the dirt path, silencing them.

"Are you ok?"

Lyon crouched by Willow's side and wiped at her eyelids with a handkerchief.

"Thanks."

As she opened her eyes, everything was blurry for a moment. For a brief moment, she saw blue, red, and white before the world returned to normal.

_What was that? _

There was the blue from Lyon's hair, but there wasn't any large amount of red or white nearby. Lyon smiled and got back to his feet. The rider from before sauntered over and grabbed him by his vest.

"Hey, you need to apologize for damaging my clothes. Do you know how much they cost me?"

Lyon clenched his teeth and retorted, "You weren't being careful and you want me to apologize for damaging something so trivial?"

"Bastard. Let's settle this with a battle. If I win, I want you to kneel on the ground and beg for forgiveness."

He scowled.

"Fine."

The surrounding area was filled with people who came to watch the first heated match of the day. Willow stood in the shadows, adverting her eyes from the man's rapidash. Just peeking at it made her palms sweaty. This was all ignored, however, when the competitors sent out their Pokémon.

On Lyon's side towered his tyranitar from earlier. Its opponent was an equally big nidoking. They both anxiously fidgeted, generating an uneasy atmosphere. It was shattered as rapidash's rider made the first move.

"Go, take down!"

The ground trembled as the two clashed. The crowd cheered at the spectacle. Absorbing confidence from the reaction, he relentlessly gave more orders.

"Iron tail!"

Lyon's tyranitar blocked blow after blow, its stamina drawing awe from the onlookers. But even Willow could tell that it was buckling under the ongoing barrage. Its trainer didn't hesitate and ordered a quick counterattack.

"Iron head."

Catching the nidoking's arms, his tyranitar lowered its head and rammed it squarely against its chest, sending its opponent tumbling onto the ground. Leaving no time for it to recoup, the tyranitar balled up its hands and punched its foe repeatedly and abruptly stopped. Silence sifted through the air as the nidoking's owner trembled. Willow couldn't tell whether it was from rage or fear.

"It's over."

The statement seemed to sap the last of the man's control as he lunged at Lyon. He was stopped by Willow, who sighed and remarked, "It's really over. It would be stupid of you if you tried to go any further. Your nidoking is in bad shape and I don't think you would want to waste any more time."

With that, she turned around and headed out of Olivine City without a backwards glance. Lyon soon followed suit. Walking in silence, they both reached the nearest forest, making good time. It was already late afternoon and the sunlight drifted lazily down the tree branches. Spreading yellow with a careless flutter. Quiet Pokémon chatter could be heard from the bushes and treetops. Tranquility seemed to flow restlessly into them, calming any frayed nerves.

Lyon spoke up, "We shouldn't be dallying. I've already wasted enough of your time dealing with that jerk earlier."

"We'll be fine. I didn't mind watching. I felt better afterwards."

She paused for a moment, listening to the noises in the underbrush. There was nothing in the nearby clearing, but something pricked her unconsciousness.

She glanced at him.

"Do you feel something nearby?"

Lyon paled. He too, felt something tugging at his mind, numbing with its touch. It was faintly familiar, like recognizing something from a movie that he'd recently seen, only to find out it was from a book he'd skimmed through years before.

Grabbing Willow's hand, he dragged her away from the clearing just as tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground and flickered in the air before leaving an acidic smell in its wake. It had clung to nothing like a glob of hot glue, making the air shimmer like on a hot summer's day. Lyon instinctively ran in the opposite direction with a frantic Willow following. They didn't bother to stay any longer than necessary, desperate to leave behind whatever abomination had spawned the horrid matter.

Casually stepping out of the shadows, a young man holding an odd tag walked over to the last drop of darkness and guided it onto the little slip of paper. He then wrapped it tightly together and melded back into the shadows.


End file.
